A lot of people come to the same café or coffee van on a regular basis. Remembering their name and coffee order will put your business in a positive light. This article lists some tips and tricks on how you can remember your regulars, helping you put your best customer service foot forward.

Names

When it comes to remembering regular customers, one of the most important things to do is to remember their name. Here are a few tips you can use to help you and your staff out.

Repeat It Three Times

Repetition breeds familiarity. When you meet them for the first time, try to use their name at least three times in the interaction. After that, repeat it in your head three times. Every time you say their name, either look them in the face or in the eye. That way, you will be more likely to remember them and their name.

Associations

On a slow day, repetition tends to work. However, if your business has many regulars, using associations may be more beneficial. Try to associate their name with something, whether it be an image, feeling or funny story.

Some baristas try to associate people with celebrities. For example, if someone is called Leo, make a joke about Leonardo DiCaprio – creating something unique about the encounter will help boost your memory.

Get to Know Them

Ask your regulars details about themselves such as what they did in the morning, where they’re going, if they have pets etc. These small details will make their name stronger in your mind, and by getting to know them as a person (as opposed to someone ordering a cappuccino), it will help you put your best customer service foot forward.

Orders

After their name, the second most important thing to remember is someone’s order. Here are a few tricks you can use.

Sing it to yourself

Saying the order to yourself in a sing-song fashion makes it more memorable than simply repeating it.

Create a Nickname

Once you remember someone’s name, try to think up of a nickname that includes their coffee order within it. Sometimes, simply thinking of someone’s name and their coffee order will do the trick: Strong Flat White Sarah.

Repeat Their Order

After the customer places their order, repeat it back to them and again when you hand the coffee to them. With enough repetition, you will begin to associate the order with them.

Write It Down

Sometimes it can help to write it down. You can do this on a post-it-note at work with their order under their name, or you can note it to yourself in a book. Repetition, both verbal and written, will assist your memory.